Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Michelle Brown AM.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to await the views of the petitioner on the information provided by the Minister for Health and Social Services and contained within the research brief before considering further action on the petition.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

·         write to the Stroke Association to seek their views on the issues raised by the petition; and

·         write back to the Minister for an update on new measures currently being developed under the Amber Category Review in due course.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to:

·         write to Cllr Elfed Roberts and Liz Saville Roberts MP for their views on the road improvements currently being implemented and any further safety measures required; and

·         write to Gwynedd County Council to seek their views about this section of road, the improvements currently being implemented and future work proposed.

Members also expressed their sympathy to the petitioners for their loss.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time and agreed to write to Transport for Wales to share the petition and the further information provided by the petitioners, and ask for a detailed response to the issues raised. The Committee also agreed to ask for a breakdown of the relevant service changes from and the journey time benefits achieved through the introduction of the ‘express north-south Wales service’.

The Committee considered the petition for the first time agreed to provide the detailed comments provided by the petitioners to the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs and seek a further response to the issues and questions raised, particularly in relation to tree and woodland policies, and short and medium term targets for tree planting.

The Committee considered further information and agreed to close the petition, given that the junction is currently being actively reviewed. In doing so, the Committee also agreed to provide the detailed comments received from Cosheston Town Council about the wider stretch of the A477 so that these can be taken into consideration.

The Committee considered further comments from the petitioners and agreed to close the petition on the basis that the Welsh Government is currently conducting a review of speed limits on all trunk roads in Wales and the Minister has committed to considering data, as well as correspondence received, during this process.

In light of the fact that detailed work is underway to develop a Deposit Return Scheme in Wales, England and Northern Ireland, with a further consultation on scheme design anticipated later in 2020, the Committee agreed to close the petition. In doing so, the Committee also agreed to provide the petitioners’ further comments about scheme design to the Welsh Government.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write back to the Minister for Housing and Local Government to share the evidence received from charities and to ask whether she has been able to give further consideration to whether “appropriate reference to the use of hostile architecture” can be made within advice and guidance on implementing the Government’s ‘placemaking agenda’, as previously referred to, and whether she would consider making a clear statement to local authorities that hostile architecture features should not be used in Wales.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to await the proposals made in the Welsh Government’s forthcoming consultation on changes to Building Regulations which will make the provision of Changing Places toilet facilities expected in certain new buildings.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to await further information from the Minister for Housing and Local Government about the possible inclusion of proposals to strengthen the provision to expect baby-changing facilities in both male and female toilets within a forthcoming consultation on changes to Building Regulations, before considering further action on the petition.

Given that the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee has recently considered this issue as part of its inquiry into Empty Properties, and the Welsh Government has accepted in principle their recommendation to investigate the scale of the issue, there is little further that the Petitions Committee could achieve at this time. The Committee therefore agreed to close the petition and thanks the petitioner for raising this issue.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to keep a watching brief on this matter and to revisit the petition and progress made in the autumn, or on receipt of a further update.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to provide the petitioner’s further comments to the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip and request an update in six months about the delivery of the Welsh Government’s initiatives in this area.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to request a further update from the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services once the process of independent assessments has been completed, to include an analysis of the changes that have resulted from them.

In August, the Children, Young People and Education Committee wrote to the Minister for Education and the Minister for Health and Social Services outlining its conclusions and recommendations from the follow up scrutiny of its Mind over Matter report. The Welsh Government has responded. 

In light of the work of the Welsh Youth Parliament on this subject, and the detailed scrutiny applied to this issue by the Children, Young People and Education Committee over recent years, the Committee agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioners for a raising a petition on this subject.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to:

·         seek information from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission about the issues raised in the petition; and

·         seek further advice about what action the Welsh Government or health boards would potentially be able to take in order to ensure the availability of appropriate equipment and facilities in GP practices.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to seek the views of Action for ME and the Welsh Association of ME and CFS Support on the sufficiency of current services in Wales and the approach outlined by Welsh Government, including whether their role on the Advisory Group will continue. 

In light of the evidence received by the Committee and the publication of new Statutory Guidance on school uniform policies, the Committee agreed to close the petition and thank the petitioners for raising this issue through the petitions process.

Given that only the University of London Institution in Paris can decide whether to apply for its courses to be specifically designated to be eligible for student support, there is little else that the Committee can achieve at this stage. The Committee therefore agreed to close the petition and to write to the University and the petitioner to explain the decision taken and propose that the University applies for designation.

In light of the responses received from the Minister for Education, particularly in relation to the flexibility and school-led nature of the new curriculum, the Committee agreed that there is little further that it could achieve at this time. Members agreed to close the petition and wished to congratulate the petitioner on the example she sets in promoting Makaton to support children with communication difficulties and to encourage her to continue to raise the proposal, including with local schools.

The Committee considered further correspondence and agreed to write to:

·         Allergy UK and Anaphylaxis UK to ask for their views on the current situation and any evidence they have about the sufficiency of current advice and guidance for schools;

·         Public Health Wales to seek their view in relation to the role of schools in relation to allergies and the advice available to them; and

·         the Association of Directors of Education to seek their perspective on how schools ensure all children with allergies are adequately safeguarded and supported, and for a view on the sufficiency of existing duties and advice.

Item 5

The motion was agreed.

The Committee considered the Welsh Government’s response to its report and agreed to request a debate in Plenary

The Committee agreed to request a debate.